What offshelf ammo is safe to use?
 

So I've recently bought my first luger, and I intend to shoot it. But I've been lurking around the forums for a bit and noticed there seems to be a debate going on about what type of ammo is and isn't safe to operate on.

I'm totally ignorant but my understanding of the debate is that

On the one hand the original luger round is a little hot, and it requires a stronger load to cycle consistently without jamming.

The other position (as I understand it) is these guns are pushing 100 years old and you should not use a +p load because if something breaks on it, you won't be fixing it.

I have zero intention of hand loading anything., and am just looking for a good offshelf brand I can buy that will be safe and reliable to operate.

Winchester White Box is your best bet. Welcome to the addiction and forum. Enjoy your new gun

115 grain Winchester White Box is often recommended as suitable for the 9mm Lugers. I definitely DO NOT recommend +P or +P+ or NATO cartridges that are close to +P.

I reload and try to keep my 115 grain loads in the 1050 ~ 1100 fps range. They work the action reliably and do not abuse the pistol.

I would also point out that you will want full metal jacketed bullets (FMJ), not lead or hollow points, which may not feed properly.

I've recently shot some remington hp that feeds in my shooter artillery and my S&W model 39.
Although I agree, the win whitebox seems to have proper OAL and the right powder / power.

What are your thoughts on CCI Blazer brass cased? Not the aluminum cased ammo.

Woody

You need a long cartridge (SAAMI spec is at the lower end of the original Luger specs).
Plus you need a slower burning powder.

Winchester White Box works well.
Fun fact: Mauser tested the Remington ammo while looking for a test load for their new Parabellum pistols in the early 1970s. The test result for Remington were awful :) Pressures were all over the place, accuracy was not good either. But that was a long time ago. Hope they improved.

Also: most brands are now produced by a few large players who bought up all the other companies, so you never know where your branded cartridges come from anymore.

I did shoot Geco and S&B. Geco was a bit too hot, S&B worked well. But Winchester was the best.

Blazer brass in 115 or 124 gr works fine in most lugers.
Get the 124 gr if you have a choice, they are usually the same price or close to it.:cheers:

Be sure you use a firm grip and locked elbow to avoid the pistols recoil being used up moving your hand/arm around. Often called "limp wristing".

Thanks for the reply. I shoot five different 9mm's and mostly shoot my reloads, but have been having trouble with a C96 Red Nine. Winchester white box in both 115 and 124 function just fine in all five pistols. It has been a little hard to find locally, but the Blazer in 115 has been readily available, hence the question. The problem with the C96 is not with factory rounds but with my reloads. Using 115 grain and a mild load, the gun functions and runs fine, but frequently the bullet will back out of the case and spill loose powder inside the internal magazine. I have tried increasing the taper crimp but the problem has persisted. Today I plan testing a mild 124 grain load to see if the additional surface contact of the heavier bullet will help. I think the problem is caused by the longer magazine of the C96, as it was originally designed for the longer .30 Mauser round. In my other 9mm's there is no room in the mag's for the bullet to back out under recoil.

Went to two gunshops. And asked for "Winchester white box"

And they where sold out in both venues.

Did a quick Google search for an online vendor, forgive my ignorance but I just want to be sure, is this what where all talking about?

https://www.luckygunner.com/9mm-115-...nusa-50-rounds

Yes.

Woody

Sorry for being so verbose.

Just returned from the range. Tried the new 124 grain load in four different pistols. They functioned perfectly in the LPL08 with a mecgar mag and my GT Drum, the Mauser C96 Red Nine, and a Ruger EC9s. They would not feed into my Walther P38. I fired 18 rounds through the C96 leaving two rounds in the magazine each time and then loading those same two rounds first into the magazine. These two rounds were subjected to the recoil of 18 rounds. I then measured the OAL of both rounds. There was no change in length. 18 rounds is not a definitive test, but it is encouraging. I think I'll load another test batch and let them age a few weeks and see if the brass relaxes it's grip any.

Woody

Yep, that's the ticket. Lucky Gunner seems pricey in this instance. Try selecting from here: https://ammoseek.com/ammo/9mm-luger/...grains?ikw=fmj Asking for a shipping quote before ordering is a good idea.

If you scroll down there are a couple of vendors with FREE shipping
sometime this works out cheaper than a low bullet/high shipping cost

SGAmmo in Stillwater Okla. always had(maybe it has changed) attractive prices and shipping charges. I purchased a few cases of Winchester NATO ammo from them for a couple of my guns designed around that ammo.